


A Cruel Device

by sweettasteofbitter



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Procedures, Poisoning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:09:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21732766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweettasteofbitter/pseuds/sweettasteofbitter
Summary: And then, in a flourish of fabric, she was on the floor.When Josephine is poisoned, she has to fight for her life. Cassandra watches over her, but wonders why Leliana remains so calm underneath it all. Surely Josephine's best friend would not betray her or the Inquisition like this?
Relationships: Josephine Montilyet/Cassandra Pentaghast
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	A Cruel Device

**Author's Note:**

> Huge shout-outs to the people who made this a better fic: Toshi_Nama and Mytha! Thank you so much for your keen beta eyes.

To Josephine’s surprise, Leliana showed up for their scheduled afternoon tea.

The Spymaster hadn’t left her raven-filled attic for the past three days, and both of them had been working until deep in the night. Apart from her usual activities, Leliana had spent much time making preparations for her candidacy for Divine, and Josephine had worked with her usual schedule. An important Inquisition dinner was scheduled that evening, and Josephine had been working herself into a frenzy to arrange it.

“A moment of respite,” Leliana said when she entered Josephine’s office carrying a purple box. Josephine recognized its origin immediately: it came from one of the finest chocolatiers in Val Royeaux. Leliana put the box on the small tea table and sat down next to Josephine in the cushioned window seat. She took off her hood; her ginger hair was ruffled a little, and Josephine smiled at the sight. Leliana looked less stern and serious like this, and as always Josephine was touched that Leliana would allow her to see this side of her.

“Have you been well, Leliana? I have barely seen you this week, and I do miss your presence.”

“We have both been busy, so perhaps you should consider this a peace offering,” Leliana said, and pushed the box towards Josephine.

“Are these for me?” Josephine was delighted at the prospect of sinking her teeth into these rich delicacies. She hadn’t tasted them in ages, and she had fond memories of them.

“These are just for you, if you want.”

“Oh, but no, we have to share these!” Josephine said quickly, appalled at the suggestion that she wouldn’t get to share the chocolates with Leliana. “But let me prepare your tea first.”

Leliana tucked her feet underneath her while Josephine poured steaming water over the tea leaves, which were infused with pieces of honey. Satisfied, Josephine put a bone white cup in front of Leliana before pouring her own tea, a strong black blend from her homeland. Then, all of her attention was focused on the box with confectioneries. Josephine opened it and was rewarded with the sight of her favorites; dark chocolate domes topped with almonds, and milk chocolate cubes. They were mixed in with a few she was unfamiliar with. Josephine was delighted that Leliana had remembered which ones she liked, and pleasantly anticipating biting into these new flavors.

“Which one do I pick first? I don’t think I’ve had these before.” Josephine picked a chocolate with a small, delicately shaped white chocolate leaf on top and put it in her mouth quickly, lest it melt between her fingers.

“Oh, that’s good.” Josephine closed her eyes and hummed as the dark chocolate and the finest of marzipan fillings melted on her tongue. There was also an unfamiliar flavor that hit her senses, more bitter than what she was used to, but this didn’t put her off. After all, there was a first time for everything. Besides, it was an unexpectedly effective contrast to the marzipan.

Leliana smiled into her cup.

“Here, here, you should try these,” Josephine said enthusiastically, and pointed at a perfect cube she knew was filled with sweet, sticky caramel. Leliana immediately took up on her suggestion, much to Josephine’s contentment. She loved this, spending time with her friend and enjoying the finer tastes of life together. Leliana spent too much time in the company of ravens and runners, and she deserved every distraction she could get. It was a shame she chose to spend the majority of her time on Inquisition missives and secrets.

“You know, I miss Val Royeaux sometimes,” Leliana said, tracing the delicate golden lettering on the box.

“Well, I was there recently, and so little has changed,” Josephine sighed wistfully. “I saw the same places and the same faces. I even greeted Sister Lucrèce, selling baskets of flowers and giving her blessings to the faithful as always.”

“I’m surprised they allow her to continue after, you know.” Leliana shot Josephine a meaningful glance.

“I know.” Josephine returned the same look of understanding. “But do you remember the small chantry we used to pass from the city center to the gardens? They have repainted it, and there is a mural on the side now, and it is quite ostentatious and - dare I say it? - ugly.”

“Sister Odette never did have a taste for these things,” Leliana says, and sipped her tea.

“No but truly, it is a sore sight,” Josephine expressed her distaste with frown. “Clashing colors, cheap, blistering gold leaf. Attracts quite the attention, but not the type it should.”

“Why are you so upset about this?” Leliana didn’t seem to share Josephine’s indignation.

“ _Ugh_ , because it is such a _waste_! It used to be such a beautiful building and now it is a joke, and…what?” Josephine asked, eyebrows raised, when Leliana regarded her amusedly.

“You’ve taken over Cassandra’s noise of dissatisfaction, I hear. You must’ve been spending quite some time with her.”

“Leliana!”

Leliana smiled knowingly.

“Do not tease me about this!” Josephine said, so naturally Leliana wiggled her eyebrows. Leliana had been the most supportive as well as the biggest tease about Josephine’s budding relationship with Cassandra, but when it came down to it, Josephine knew Leliana wished only the best for her.

“I am happy for you, Josie.”

Josephine looked down into her tea and smiled broadly. Mentioning Cassandra in her presence did have that effect on her.

“Me too.” Josephine looked up. “But here, I insist you take another chocolate!”

* * *

Cassandra wanted to see Josephine before the events of the evening pulled the both of them in opposite directions.

“Did you get another present from a noble?” Cassandra asked when she walked into Josephine’s office and noticed the ostentatious box on Josephine’s desk.

“Those were gifted to me by Leliana, actually. We have eaten most of them already, they are quite excellent, but I did make sure to save some for you,” Josephine said. She had been seated at the desk, mulling over guest lists and menus, but now she stood up, straightening her skirts and brushing off a few crumbs.

“If you don’t mind sharing.”

“Don’t be silly, Cassandra. Of course I don’t mind sharing with you.”

Cassandra felt her insides warm a little, and this only got worse when Josephine took a leftover chocolate between her fingers and shamelessly put it in Cassandra’s mouth, letting her fingers linger on Cassandra’s lips a little too long to be a coincidence. The Ambassador looked at her expectantly, but it was rather hard for Cassandra to concentrate on the taste when she was this close to her. Cassandra could feel her face heating up, and she avoided Josephine’s gaze for a moment to be able to taste the chocolate.

Cassandra hated to disappoint Josephine, but the taste really wasn’t what she had been expecting. She frowned. There was something off about this, it was much more bitter than she had expected.

“Do these taste strange to you?” she asked, and to her dismay, Josephine’s smile dropped.

“Well, it is dark chocolate, which is always quite bitter, and if you aren’t used to them you might find they taste strange.”

“That must be it, then. I’m sorry they aren’t to my taste.” Cassandra had a sweet tooth and preferred the most sugary goodness to the bitterness of dark chocolate.

“It’s all right,” Josephine said, and her smile returned. She waited for Cassandra to finish eating, and reached for Cassandra’s collar to brush away an invisible speck of dust.

“So, you will put in an appearance tonight, won’t you?”

Cassandra knew she was expected to attend the dinner, even though she had no taste for these gatherings. People knew her as the Hero of Orlais, or the Right Hand of the Divine, and no matter their standing, people always asked her the least intelligent questions. That, or they wanted to hear tales that were so far from the truth that Cassandra had grown to loathe them over the course of time. She simply wasn’t a people person, and people who only knew her from the stories of splendid grandeur and were falsely informed about her attachment to people, were quickly disappointed once they entered a conversation with her. No, it was best to leave the conversations and connections to Josephine, who reveled in these situations, shining like the bright star she was.

Cassandra licked the chocolate off her front teeth and gestured at the box. “Are you using those as a bribe?”

“Oh no, not at all,” Josephine said hastily, with which Cassandra understood she meant quite the opposite. Despite her fondness of Josephine, Cassandra didn’t like the trick she was trying to pull.

“It isn’t necessary,” Cassandra reassured her. “I will be there tonight.”

Josephine stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Cassandra briefly, her hand lingering on the back of Cassandra’s neck.

“I appreciate it very much,” she said gracefully, and returned to her desk.

* * *

It was many hours later when they got dressed for the evening, and Josephine had secretly been looking forward to this moment for weeks. She would get to see Cassandra in her tailor-made Inquisition livery: black, with gilded details on the sleeves and epaulettes emphasizing the impressive width of her shoulders. If there had to be a confirmation of her attraction to Cassandra, the pleasant tingle in her stomach when she looked at her while her battle-worn fingers buttoned up her jacket would be it.

“You look so very dashing,” Josephine said, looking over her shoulder through the reflection in the mirror, and she smiled when she saw Cassandra’s physical response to these words: a stern blush spreading across her high cheekbones. Though Cassandra’s verbal knee-jerk reaction was to brush off Josephine’s compliments about how good she looked, Cassandra could never hide how genuinely flattered she was; she simply didn’t know how to handle those kind of comments on her appearance.

Cassandra looked into the mirror, let her shoulders drop and straightened her back. Where she had appeared awkward moments before, she now sauntered towards Josephine and embraced her from behind, her hands firm and loving, the warmth of her palms spreading through the fabric of Josephine’s clothes. Josephine hadn’t opted for the Inquisition livery, but instead was decked out in the colors and fabrics of her homeland.

“You look quite good yourself,” Cassandra said, and kissed Josephine’s exposed shoulder.

“Why, thank you,” Josephine said, spinning around and curling her arms around Cassandra’s shoulders. Josephine’s body hummed with joy at the close contact. “But we weren’t talking about me, were we?”

And then Cassandra kissed her mouth, slowly, and they didn’t talk much at all for a while.

* * *

It had been a very dull evening so far, but Cassandra had to admit it could have been far worse.

She was seated at one end of the table, paired up with a young noble who wasn’t very talkative. Cassandra didn’t mind his company at all. She was convinced Josephine had arranged it like this. Josephine must’ve been aware the person across from Cassandra barely spoke, and for that, the Seeker was eternally grateful.

She sipped her wine and let the expertly prepared dishes linger on her palate. The vegetables were cooked to perfection, and the main course, however small, was exactly to Cassandra’s liking. She vaguely remembered talking to Josephine about how she liked her vegetables and her fish…could it be? But no, Cassandra didn’t believe that Josephine would go out of her way to have the menu based upon Cassandra’s preferences, and it wasn’t as though everything was _exactly_ to Cassandra’s taste – she hadn’t dared to touch the cranberry sauce, for instance.

She watched the people around her as she emptied her plate, conversation floating in and out of her ears. The people next to her were discussing the latest developments in the Orlesian civil war, and next to them a Duchess and her cousin were having a heated debate on the usage of dangerous materials in the mixing of paint. Cassandra wasn’t compelled to partake in either of these conversations.

Her gaze drifted through the doors of the main hall. Outside the main hold, most of Skyhold was dark, and most of the people present were indoors. The hall had been lit up by hundreds of candles and new velvet curtains had replaced the old, worn ones – Josephine’s doing, no doubt. It was a shame Cassandra wasn’t actually seated closer to Josephine, for her skin always looked exquisite in candlelight.

(Cassandra felt herself react to the memory of Josephine before her, with considerably more skin on display than she had now, and positively aglow. She had to press her legs together and hide her cough with the rim of her glass.)

The Inquisitor sat at the other end of the table, her hands moving animatedly. Josephine was sitting there too, listening intently and putting in a remark every now and then, although her body language didn’t seem to be as entranced as her face implied. Her eyes were darting back and forth across the table. She downed her glass of wine and started shifting in her seat. This seemed very odd to Cassandra, for this definitely wasn’t considered proper etiquette. A few moments later, Josephine rose to her feet.

“Excuse me, I don’t feel so well.”

Everybody’s attention was suddenly reverted to Josephine, who had been uncharacteristically quiet up until then. But what the dinner guests who looked at her saw then was enough to shock them thoroughly: the Ambassador’s forehead was doused in sweat, and she had to hold on to the edge of the table to stand up straight, for her legs were shaking uncontrollably.

And then, in a flourish of fabric, she was on the floor.

All at once, chaos erupted. People rushed up from their seats, glasses were knocked over. Cassandra stood up with a shout, her chair falling over in her haste to make it to Josephine’s side. By the time she reached Josephine people had already gathered around her.

Cassandra had seen horrors of battle and war, had lost good soldiers who had died in her arms, their fatal wounds staining her hands, but it was nothing, absolutely _nothing_ compared to the sight of Josephine convulsing on the floor. There was something so wrong, so violent about her body being at the mercy of spasms that Cassandra would have a hard time erasing the visual from her mind’s eye.

_“Get a healer!”_

_“Oh Maker. Oh Maker.”_

_“What’s happening?”_

_“That’s the Ambassador!”_

_“Get a bloody healer in here!”_

Cassandra threw herself forward through the onlookers, kneeling next to Josephine. She shouldn’t have been surprised to find that Vivienne was there as well. With the help of a duke, the First Enchanter rolled Josephine onto her side. This required some effort, for Josephine’s limbs were shaking harder than almost anything Cassandra had ever seen (and this was telling, because Cassandra had seen people possessed by demons). Vivienne gave directions, and suddenly people began to move, widening the circle around the scene. She looked at Cassandra.

“Darling, you must give her space.”

Cassandra shot her a look.

Vivienne’s voice brooked no refusal. “Cassandra, if you want to help Josephine, you must stand up and move away.”

“Let me stay with her,” Cassandra growled, and Josephine chose that moment to violently throw up on the floor and Cassandra’s pants.

“Keep her head to the side, make sure her mouth stays empty,” Vivienne ordered the other kneeling person. She was the very image of composure, and Cassandra didn’t understand how she could stay so calm (though, in all fairness, Cassandra had remained level-headed in similar situations before, but she simply couldn’t when Josephine was involved).

“Check her glass and plate to see if there are traces of poison,” Vivienne told someone behind Cassandra.

 _“Don’t need to check her food to know she’s been poisoned. I’ve seen this before, in the Orlesian court, but then it was part of a double murder.”_ Cassandra heard someone say. Her ears were buzzing and the voice was indistinctive. All sounds seemed further away than they should have been.

_Maker, please let her survive this. I don’t wish to lose someone else._

The healer that had been summoned appeared. There was a hand at Cassandra’s elbow, and she shrugged it off, but it returned immediately, pulling her back. When she looked up, Leliana was standing there. She, too, looked alarmed. She was holding Josephine’s empty glass in her hand.

“It’s poison,” she confirmed, looking as pale as a sheet. “Arsenic. As I expected.”

_As you expected?_

“How-?” Cassandra began, but she was interrupted by Vivienne.

“Cassandra,” Vivienne said, taking heed of Leliana’s words but ignoring her completely after that. “Hurry to my balcony and look for the wooden box with vials behind the chaise longue. There is an antidote in there. Careful, you must not break the vials.”

With much effort, Cassandra rose to her feet. She didn’t want to leave Josephine. She felt as though it would all be out of her hands as soon as she left her side, that it would be her fault if she left Josephine to die on the cold, stone floor.

This looked bad, very bad. The seizures didn’t appear to stop. Something had to be done.

Finally, Cassandra regained control of her limbs. She threw people that had gathered aside and rushed upstairs. She kneeled on the floor to retrieve Vivienne’s box, then hurried back, taking the stairs with a quicker pace than was probably wise. Once she had returned to Vivienne, she couldn’t stand still. She put her hands in her hair and shifted her weight from one leg onto the other.

“Give her this,” Vivienne rummaged through the box and passed a vial to the healer, who made quick work of the cork and put it to Josephine’s lips.

“I’m trying, I’m trying, but she can’t swallow.”

“Well, make her!” Cassandra heard herself shout. She couldn’t stop herself. She resisted the urge to grasp the vial from the healer’s hands and make Josephine swallow the antidote herself.

_Maker no, not her. She is too good, too young. Maker, I beg you, please be kind._

“Come on, come on. There we go,” the healer said. “I think she’s swallowing now. Yes, there we go. Very good.”

It took a minute or so, but gradually, Josephine stilled, and the relief was tangible in the air. But something was wrong; she lay suspiciously still. Cassandra couldn’t even detect the rise and fall of her chest.

The healer checked her pulse.

Frowned.

Checked it again.

_No! Please don’t take her from me!_

The healer closed his eyes.

“There’s a heartbeat, but very faint. She’s weak. We need to get her somewhere comfortable and watch her. Keep track of any changes.”

“Take her to her room. It is more comfortable than the infirmary.” Cassandra said resolutely. She didn’t trust anybody to touch Josephine. “No - I will carry her.”

“Perhaps it is best if we don’t-” the healer started, but quickly shut up when Cassandra made her way over to Josephine and carefully lifted her slack body in her arms, supporting her lolling head against her shoulder. Perhaps it wasn’t medically sound, but Cassandra wanted Josephine to be away from the dozens of eyes focused on her.

She could walk the route to Josephine’s room with her eyes closed, but it seemed to take an extraordinarily long time before she reached it. Vivienne and Leliana followed, not speaking to each other at all. Leliana pulled a key from her pocket and opened the door. Cassandra shuffled through the darkened room, afraid to hit any furniture. The healer followed behind the ensemble, and a guard took the last spot in the parade.

Once Cassandra had laid Josephine on her bed – her soft, comfortable bed, which Cassandra knew intimately - she covered Josephine’s body with a blanket, drawing it up to her shoulders. She lit a few of the candles to make sure she could see Josephine breathe. The healer moved over to her body and began checking her once more, helped by Vivienne who offered her expert opinion on the matter.

Cassandra grabbed a towel and cleaned the worst of Josephine’s vomit off her pants. Perhaps it would’ve been better to change her entire outfit, but she couldn’t leave Josephine to fend for herself like this.

She pulled over the simple wooden chair from the corner of the room, sat down, put her elbows on her knees and her hands under her chin, and refused to move.

* * *

Josephine woke up to the worst headache she had ever experienced. When she tried to open her eyes, the furniture had no sharp outlines, just colors blurred together. Her stomach and throat were sore, and she had the _worst_ taste in her mouth. There was a vague memory of an evening, a dinner in the main hall, pleasant company, and then feverish moments, drifting in and out of consciousness.

“Josephine.” A shape with a voice was unmistakably Cassandra’s stood up from what Josephine presumed was a chair next to the bed. “You’re awake.”

“Cassandra?” Her voice cracked, was barely her own. “W-What happened?”

Another shape moved from the corner of the room, but Josephine couldn’t recognize who it was.

“Please, don’t exert yourself,” an unfamiliar voice said, and someone began tugging at her, putting their hand against her wrist and taking her pulse before lifting the sheet from Josephine’s body and prodding her in places Josephine didn’t want to be touched right now.

“Perhaps that’s for the best.” Cassandra’s voice said, and Josephine felt a soothing hand against the crown of her head. “You were poisoned.”

“She’s stabilizing, but we will have to watch her for at least another day. What she needs now, is rest,” the unfamiliar person said, and Josephine vaguely recognized her as one of the healers from the Inquisition’s infirmary. Cassandra nodded, then directed her attention toward Josephine again.

“Oh,” Josephine mumbled, and the healer disappeared back to the corner. Josephine had the feeling of being watched. It required her a lot of effort to think properly and put those thoughts into words, and the headache really wasn’t helping with that. “Poisoned? Me? Why?”

“We’re still trying to figure that out.”

Josephine remained quiet, trying to make sense of it all, but she couldn’t put the pieces together. It couldn’t have been the House of Repose; the contract had been annulled, and the assassin’s league was honorable enough not to act upon a nonexistent contract. Then who did this? And why?

She was tired and parched, but sweat was clinging to her forehead and back.

“I’m thirsty,” she said as she tried to sit up, pushing herself into a seated position with trembling arms. She lurched, gagged, and her stomach clenched painfully; she realized it was trying to empty itself, but there was nothing there. It had already been emptied. Possibly multiple times.

“Here,” Cassandra gently brushed the strands of hair out of her heated face and handed her a glass of water. With a trembling hand Josephine took the glass and brought it to her lips. She drank the contents at once and returned the glass to Cassandra.

Suddenly – she couldn’t explain it – there were tears in her eyes. Her throat burnt, but the tears wouldn’t stop falling. She was exhausted, her entire being hurt. Why her? Why _her_?

“Josephine?” Cassandra sounded alarmed, and Josephine reached for her, clung to her, cried into her chest. Cassandra’s hands were strong and secure against her back, rubbing her through the sobs that racked her body.

“Why me?” Josephine managed to bring out. Cassandra’s grip around her tightened. “Why me?” She asked again. “Who did this?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be here,” Cassandra said. Josephine was at once comforted and alarmed by Cassandra’s words, but she didn’t have the energy to protest her implications.

New tears fell down on Cassandra’s shirt, which made Josephine realize Cassandra was no longer wearing her Inquisition livery.

“How long has it been?” Josephine croaked.

“Two days,” Cassandra said. “We didn’t know if you would…” she swallowed. “You’re weak, still.”

The healer in the corner of the room moved to the bed again.

“Please, Lady Montilyet, I must ask you to try to remain calm. You need to rest.” The healer shot a stern look at Cassandra, as though it was Cassandra’s fault for upsetting Josephine. Josephine thought this very unfair, but she was also tired, her limbs weak, and she could not muster the strength to protest this attitude. She obeyed, sinking back into her pillow.

“You got hurt under my watch,” Cassandra said, shaking her head softly, and Josephine hiccupped; more tears threatened to fall when she heard the vulnerability in Cassandra’s voice. “I owed you my vigilance. I failed you.”

“Cassandra,” Josephine said, with much difficulty, before her eyes fell shut and she entered a feverish dream, “please don’t blame yourself.”

When Josephine woke up again, she blinked a few times, and she was glad to notice her vision was slowly returning to normal; she could see it was now dark inside her room, save for a candle or two. Her headache also seemed to have gone for the most part, though there was still a wickedly painful throb behind her eyes. Her stomach still hurt, and so did her throat.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was the pressure against her back and the arm slung around her waist. Cassandra was curled around her protectively, breathing softly against her neck while she slept. She had no idea how Cassandra had managed to convince the healer that this would benefit her, but she had the faint suspicion it did not involve kind promises.

Josephine covered Cassandra’s hand with her own and closed her eyes again. There was no shame in trying to sleep some more, was there? She was recovering, and sleep was what she needed right now.

* * *

The next morning, Josephine looked and sounded better than she had the day before. Cassandra watched over her while she took small, careful bites out of the breakfast that had been brought to her room. When her stomach didn’t reject those, Cassandra felt she was safe enough to be left alone. She kissed Josephine on her forehead and left the room.

She took large strides through the castle halls. She had to calm down somehow and try to process the events of the past few days. Cassandra retreated to her room, where she washed her face and put on her padded gambeson. She took her practice sword and headed for the courtyard.

It didn’t take long for the sweat to come running over her temples, staining her armpits and back. She had stopped counting the number of hits the training dummy in front of her had had to endure.

_Why Josephine? Why her?_

The question had been on Josephine’s mind as well, since it was all she could say when she had just woken up. It had been incredibly unsettling to see the usually eloquent ambassador crying, stammering, and completely out of her depth. It was a sharp contrast with the uncertain twenty-four hours before that, filled with sweaty skin stuck to sheets and pained moans, healers entering and leaving. If Josephine remembered anything at all, Cassandra hoped it was as little as possible.

Cassandra angrily wiped the sweat off her forehead.

They had picked Josephine because she was one of the most important people of the Inquisition. She was one of their most powerful political assets, and the least trained to protect herself from attempts on her life. Her visibility within the Inquisition meant she practically had a target painted on her back. They were all in danger from time to time, but Josephine was one of the few people in Skyhold who did not wear armor.

_Who could be responsible for this? How could they track down the person behind this act of violence? Perhaps the poison was a lead…_

A question that had been stuck at the back of her mind reared its head up again.

_Leliana immediately knew what kind of poison it was. That’s highly suspect._

Cassandra lowered her sword, rolled her shoulders a couple of times before taking a proper stance again.

 _How? How_ did _Leliana know?_

When Cassandra couldn’t answer her own question, she tried not to let it take over her mind. But the sound of metal hitting straw-filled burlap couldn’t drone out her confusion, which grew louder and louder within her, and with the clamor came the anger upon the following realization:

_The only way Leliana could’ve known if is she knew this attack was likely to happen._

No. Absolutely not. This was a dangerous road to walk down. She needed to trust Leliana, needed Josephine not be hurt by her.

_Leliana didn’t try to hurt Josephine. It wasn’t her and you know this._

_But she knew about the poison. She could’ve prevented it from happening. She should have._

Cassandra grew more and more frustrated, and eventually she could no longer stay focused, consumed by her own ire. She did some cooling down stretches and returned inside to soothe her disturbed mind with a hot bath, and many, many deep breaths.

When Cassandra entered Josephine’s room half an hour later, she found Josephine sitting up in bed, reading some letters in the company of the one woman she would rather not have faced right then: Leliana, seated at the foot of Josephine’s bed. When Cassandra entered the room they both looked up. Josephine’s hair was up in a bun, but her lips looked dry.

“You shouldn’t be working,” Cassandra said, ready to pry the parchment form Josephine’s hands.

“This is private mail,” Josephine said. “They wouldn’t let me have my Inquisition folders. People have been sending me well-wishes,” she continued, and gestured at a few neatly arranged cards and letters on top of her nightstand. There even was a crude bouquet of flowers in a vase on the ground, put there due to lack of space on the nightstand.

“That’s…kind,” Cassandra said. Without any further words, she handed Josephine the glass of water from her nightstand. “How are you feeling?”

“Better than when I woke up,” Josephine said, taking a sip. “Being able to keep down my food did wonders for me.”

“I’m glad,” Cassandra said, and directed her attention to Leliana.

“Leliana. I think we have something to discuss.”

Leliana looked up, but Cassandra couldn’t quite read the emotion on her face, veiled as her expression was.

“We do?”

“How did you know about the poison? You seemed very certain.” Cassandra frowned.

“I know my poisons, Cassandra,” Leliana said calmly. “My knowledge has saved my life before.”

“And taken others, no doubt,” Cassandra said. The healer in the corner of the room shifted awkwardly, not wishing to be present for this conversation. Both Leliana and Cassandra ignored her. Josephine, however, seemed to notice the healer’s discomfort, and attempted a truce.

“Cassandra, please, I ask you not to do this,” Josephine said. “This is not the place.”

“Then maybe Leliana and I should take this somewhere else.” Cassandra said, taking a step closer to Leliana so she was towering over her seated form. Leliana, who was not so easily perturbed by Cassandra’s figure, rose to her feet as well.

“We won’t bother you any further with our squabbling, Josie,” Leliana said, and walked out of the room. Cassandra had no choice but to throw her hands up in the air and follow the Spymaster.

Cassandra only had the patience to stay quiet for as long as it took for them to reach Leliana’s work space. But once they arrived, all the floodgates opened.

“You knew!” Cassandra shouted, and prodded her finger into Leliana’s chest. “You knew all along, and you didn’t do anything!” Her voice shook with her anger, and to her own frustration she could feel tears sting in her eyes. They were the accumulation of all the hours spent in uncertainty. “How could you? Josephine is your friend! She could’ve died!”

“No,” Leliana said calmly, unimpressed by Cassandra’s behavior. “She couldn’t have.”

“What are you talking about?” Cassandra all but shouted again. Behind them, a raven cackled and Cassandra resisted the urge to strangle the animal. That Leliana remained so calm was the most infuriating thing about the situation. This was _Josephine_ they were talking about.

“I made sure she had enough antidote inside her system to survive the attack. I did bring her a gift, after all.”

Pieces fell into place, and Cassandra took a step back. She was no stranger to Leliana’s methods, but that she would do this to Josephine, someone Leliana had always claimed to protect? Unbelievable.

Cassandra had never felt this before; it was almost as though she had, in that very moment, become afraid of Leliana.

“I knew those chocolates tasted off. Maker, Leliana, what have you done?”

“It was a calculated risk. I knew there were suspicious movements among the kitchen staff. The only poison they commonly have access to is used to kill rats in the kitchen. By figuring out who poured Josephine’s glass that evening, I managed to find an entire network of anti-Inquisition sympathizers, including their moles inside Skyhold. We apprehended the culprit earlier today.”

Cassandra shook her head.

“Have you ever stopped to think about the _costs_ , Leliana? You put Josephine’s life on the line. You didn’t have the right to gamble with a friend’s life like you did!”

“I didn’t expect her to drink her entire glass!” Leliana straightened her back defensively. “She should have noticed something was off immediately.”

Cassandra was ready to walk away, not wanting to hear any of Leliana’s defenses. What Leliana had done disgusted Cassandra. What if she would make these same decisions again? Following that logic no one was safe from the Spymaster, not even if you were misled to trust her.

Cassandra shook her head. Conflict arose within her; even though she felt justified in her behavior by the way she boiling inside, she instinctively felt this was taking it too far.

“Cassandra,” Leliana said, a little more defeated than she had let on before. “You deserve to know. They picked Josie specifically to hurt me.”

“Hurt _you?_ Why?”

“There is more to this situation than I told you. For a while now, I have been pressured by an underground movement to step down as candidate Divine. I won’t, of course, but they thought they could get to me by hurting a dear friend. And in order to find out who was behind these threats, I had to do what I did.”

Cassandra clenched her fists.

“Does Josephine know about any of this?” Cassandra asked.

That made Leliana’s lips contort into a thin line. She did not answer the question. Instead, she leaned over her table, her hood obscuring her face, and said something in Orlesian, so quietly Cassandra didn’t quite catch it.

“I made a mistake, didn’t I?” Leliana said. “I thought I could predict what would happen, but I couldn’t. I put Josephine in mortal danger, and I…” Leliana clenched her fist, which Cassandra knew meant she was trying her damndest not to cry. “I should’ve done better.”

That Leliana even allowed Cassandra to see this much of her emotions softened Cassandra a little bit, but not enough to ease all of the tension that had built up in her over the past few days.

“Yes,” Cassandra said, before turning around with one swift, determined motion. “You should have. I hope you know this.”

* * *

After many more hours of sleep and another tentative meal, the healers in charge finally agreed that Josephine was allowed to leave her bed. The healer in the corner of her bedroom was replaced with a guard outside her door who was to be notified at any signs of relapse or other danger.

The first thing Josephine did when she put her feet back on the ground was order a warm aromatic bath and soft towels to rid herself of the sour smell of her own skin. The warm water had only just enveloped her when two rapid, familiar knocks on her door told her Cassandra wanted to enter the room. Cassandra had undoubtedly heard from the guard that Josephine was bathing, otherwise she would have simply barged in.

Cassandra greeted her curtly. She had the face of a thundercloud still, but her shoulders were no longer pulled up to her ears as they had been when she had left the room to talk to Leliana.

Josephine didn’t readily want to know what had been discussed. She was certain the matter was complicated, but she would allow Cassandra and Leliana some time to come to their senses. In due time, however, she would like to know what had occurred between them, since it concerned events she herself had played a large part in.

Cassandra moved the towels from the low stool to the ground, and sat herself down next to the bath. She looked exhausted, and Josephine didn’t have the heart to protest at the removal of her towels.

Josephine rested an arm on the edge of the bath, and laid her head on top of it.

“How are you?”

Cassandra did not reply. Josephine studied her. Her head was bent, her posture slumped.

“Cassandra?” Josephine shifted.

When Cassandra finally looked up, there were no tears on her cheeks, but her eyes were rimmed red.

“It’s not supposed to be this way,” she said hoarsely. “I’m the warrior. I willingly put myself in front of danger. If anyone is expected to die first…”

“I do not believe death has some kind of schedule for us. Besides, I did not die,” Josephine said.

Cassandra’s jaw clenched.

“It was too close for comfort,” she said through gritted teeth.

“You are right as ever.” Josephine sighed. “This is not an experience I would wish to repeat.”

There was a quiet hurt in her body, but it wasn’t the mere physicality of the experience; she couldn’t stop thinking about what would have happened if she had not been saved. The idea of people missing her, and her family receiving letters of her death made the tears gather in her eyes. She would eventually have to give a place to the disturbing thoughts of never getting to see her loved ones again, and face the tangible reality of having stared death in the face.

Cassandra reached out and put her hand against Josephine’s cheek. Josephine closed her own dripping hand over Cassandra’s, keeping it in place.

“I asked the Maker not to take you from me,” Cassandra said, and she shuddered a little in the light of that confession. Josephine remained quiet, her fingers moving lightly against Cassandra’s hand, comforting her. “I do not know what I would have done if these people had succeeded in carrying out their plan.”

“For both our sakes, I am glad the Maker heard your prayers,” Josephine replied, lifting her head. “I would hate to have been robbed of the opportunity to grow old with you.”

Cassandra raised her eyebrows and blushed fiercely. She leaned down, her breath eager against Josephine’s face, and put her eager lips to Josephine’s.

They kissed for a while, without much haste, the only sounds coming from beyond the walls of the room. It was a little clumsy, since they had the edge of the bath between them, which prevented Josephine from wrapping her arms around Cassandra’s neck like she wanted to.

Skyhold’s baths never grew cold, and in combination with Cassandra’s presence, Josephine was in no hurry to leave the tub.

“Thank you for sharing your worries with me,” Josephine said when Cassandra finally dared let go of her. “Would you wash my back?”

Cassandra nodded, and Josephine handed her the sponge that had wedged itself underneath her leg. Cassandra settled behind her on her knees and dutifully distributed the soapy water across Josephine’s skin. Josephine hummed appreciatively. She still felt a constricting feeling in her chest, and it was a sadness she couldn’t quite put to words, but Cassandra’s touch did wonders to alleviate the worst of it. When Cassandra was done, Josephine rose to her feet, and Cassandra handed her a towel.

“That’s much better. That smell when you haven’t taken a proper bath in days was truly starting to irk me. I don’t know how you do it when you are traveling in the wilderness,” Josephine said while she stepped out of the tub, towel wrapped around her.

“As much as the smell of sweat and horse gets unbearable sometimes, it does repel darkspawn,” Cassandra deadpanned, and Josephine laughed heartily.

Josephine considered putting on a clean nightgown, but opted for a simple tunic in the end. She didn’t want to feel too much like a patient, and she did not want to go right back to bed even though it was growing dark outside; she had spent far too many hours in bed over the past few days.

Cassandra lit a few candles as Josephine settled comfortably on the couch.

“I want to believe the work hasn’t piled up on my desk in my absence, but I’m afraid that is just an idle fantasy,” Josephine sighed.

“I’m sure plenty of people are willing to help you out.” Cassandra lit the last candle and sat down next to Josephine, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Josephine shimmied closer to her warmth.

“Willing? Yes. Capable? No, truly, Cassandra, it has to be me.”

Cassandra chuckled and pressed her mouth to Josephine’s temple.

“You’re probably right.”

* * *

Even though Cassandra’s eyes were slowly falling shut, she wondered if she should let Josephine know about her fallout with Leliana. Josephine would find out sooner or later anyway, but perhaps it was better to wait until Leliana tried to make amends. It behooved Leliana to make up for her antics, but Cassandra also instinctively felt it wasn’t her place to speak before Leliana could defend herself.

Perhaps Cassandra would have considered telling Josephine if this had concerned any other person than Leliana, but both Cassandra and Josephine were fond of her in their own way, and Cassandra did not want their friendships besmirched because she had failed to keep her mouth shut.

Cassandra retired early, making sure to tell Josephine that she shouldn’t wait too long to follow her. She tossed and turned more than she would have liked, but when she finally reached the precipice of sleep she felt the mattress sink in next to her. For the first time in four days she slept without waking in the dead of night, shrouded with worry.

Although the morning was overcast, it was the brightest day Skyhold had seen in a week.

Cassandra knew Josephine had been extremely frustrated that she wasn’t able to work. The look of relief on Josephine’s face when she was declared fit to return to her office was very telling. Even though she had to promise not to overexert herself, she would probably have to be physically held back to prevent her from doing everything she wanted to.

Cassandra was glad to notice that multiple members of the Inquisition, including Vivienne, Sera, and Varric, took it upon themselves to make sure Josephine was well-cared for and was not asking more of herself than she could give.

Although it was quite tempting to keep guard, Cassandra wanted to keep their separate schedules and refused to enter Josephine’s office every hour to check up on her. Instead, Cassandra decided to pay Vivienne a visit to let her know how grateful she was that the First Enchanter had looked after Josephine.

“I came here to thank you for your help,” Cassandra began, looking around the impeccable balcony space Vivienne had made for herself.

“Of course, Cassandra. Your gratitude is much appreciated. Please, take a seat.” Vivienne said, putting a well-manicured hand on Cassandra’s shoulder. Cassandra knew she wasn’t able to get out of this one.

Vivienne sat Cassandra down on one of her settees and poured her a steaming cup of tea. Cassandra was glad Vivienne did not offer her wine, given recent experiences with the beverage.

“How are you, my dear?” Vivienne said, filling her own cup.

Cassandra warmed her hands on her cup, though she did not dare to put it to her lips yet.

“Josephine has returned to work, and despite some fatigue, healers say she’ll make a full recovery,” Cassandra said reflexively. She had grown used to people asking about Josephine’s state rather than her own.

“I am inquiring after _your_ wellbeing, not our Ambassador’s.”

Cassandra looked at Vivienne. The mage’s smile reached her eyes; her concern was genuine.

“This week has been harrowing,” Cassandra admitted. “I do not want to think about what would have happened if people had not acted as swiftly.”

“Fortunately, we were spared that scenario. It would have been a devastating loss.”

Cassandra sighed. “I’m aware. Josephine had the misfortune to have a friend who crossed the wrong people. At least she is on the good side of many others.”

“It’s true; Josephine is loved and appreciated by many.”

“Yes,” Cassandra said, and to her own surprise, she found herself smiling. “Of course she is.”

A hesitant runner came up to them.

“Uhm, excuse me, Lady Cassandra? Sister Leliana wishes to speak with you.”

“And I do not wish to speak with her,” Cassandra responded immediately. Vivienne took a sip of her tea.

“You are welcome to stay here, Cassandra,” Vivienne opted, but Cassandra knew Vivienne would recommend anyone to stay away from Leliana, so her reasons were not entirely altruistic.

When Cassandra made no attempt to rise, the runner shrugged and returned on their route. Cassandra finished her tea while Vivienne attempted to keep the conversation going, speaking of trivial matters that took Cassandra’s mind off things. After a while, however, Cassandra got to her feet, thanking Vivienne for her actions and hospitality once more.

Cassandra blew out all the air she had stored in her lungs and moved to her next destination.

“Cassandra, you probably do not want to be here, but that you are speaks well of you,” Leliana said upon seeing Cassandra ascending the stairs of the rotunda.

Cassandra felt the tips of her ears glow. She did not want to receive compliments from Leliana, and yet she could not deny the flattery worked.

“What do you want?” She said quickly, not allowing herself to be caught off guard.

“As you know, the person who tried to harm Josephine was revealed shortly after he carried out his deed, and we have made fair use of his knowledge. Unfortunately we could not prevent him from laying a hand on himself.”

“He’s hurt?”

“One of our guards found him dead in his holding cell this morning. It was entirely his own doing. We will continue to use the information we acquired to cut down to the root of this matter. I merely thought you wanted to know.”

Cassandra nodded curtly. She knew all of them were in this together, and being divided would only benefit their enemies.

“If you need any help, you know who to ask,” Cassandra said. Admittedly, she was doing this for Josephine’s sake rather than Leliana’s, but she was doing it nonetheless.

“I appreciate it, Cassandra,” Leliana said.

Just before dinner, Cassandra was pulled into yet another direction when she serendipitously ran into Josephine. The Ambassador tugged her on her sleeve with some degree of urgency.

“Cassandra, a moment?”

Cassandra followed her down the corridor. Even though there were no guests allowed in this part of the castle, Josephine lowered her voice and leaned in a little when she spoke.

“Are you all right?” Cassandra inquired immediately, looking closely for any signs of fatigue or other symptoms that would counteract her recovery. When she found none, she relaxed.

“Leliana explained herself to me earlier.” Josephine closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “And I find myself quite conflicted.”

“That’s understandable,” Cassandra said, and she couldn’t help to sound annoyed. Leliana’s behavior was still a massive sore point for her, and it would take a while for her trust in Leliana to be fully mended. “What she did was questionable at best.”

“I may need time to grasp what this means for our friendship and for my role within the Inquisition. ” Josephine opened her eyes and looked at Cassandra, and the hurt she saw there was gut-wrenching. “Do not misunderstand me; I do not doubt that I am where I want and need to be, but it is simply difficult for me to know that I might put my loved ones in danger.”

“That is not what happened.” Cassandra frowned. “It was Leliana who put you in danger, not the other way around.”

Josephine smiled sadly.

“Does it sound strange when I say that it does not feel that way? I did, after all, support Leliana in her decision to become Divine.”

“You are being too harsh on yourself,” Cassandra said, because felt Josephine needed to hear the truth. Cassandra wanted to protect her from her inclination to blame herself.

Josephine raised her eyebrows, but then a surprised laugh broke through her façade.

“Well, I thank you for your honesty, though it does not change my feelings. I believe I may need some time to process it all.”

“You should,” Cassandra agreed.

“If it is any consolation, I believe Leliana is already trying to make amends.”

“Not by bringing you more chocolates, I hope?” Cassandra said, and it came out more humorously than she intended, but she cherished the amused look on Josephine’s face nonetheless.

“She had better not try that again, until she can prove that she has no ulterior motives,” Josephine agreed. “No, but it seems she has had some time for introspection. She has at the very least tried to talk to me about it, and I find that despite everything there are reasons to trust her. I thought you needed to hear that.”

Cassandra shrugged: perhaps she did, but she wasn’t ready to admit it yet.

“Apparently the infiltrator who hurt you killed himself, but his death was in vain,” Cassandra said. “It could not prevent us from moving ahead and taking measures against their organization.”

Josephine’s shoulders sagged.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Even if he hurt me, I doubt it was personal.”

Cassandra shook her head, but she did not speak. She took Josephine’s hand in her own and brushed her thumb across her knuckles. Cassandra was grounded by the soft skin of Josephine’s hand. They allowed each other to be quiet and lost in thought for a while.

“Well, I suppose this entire ordeal did cement something,” Josephine said.

“What is that?”

“As long as you are with me, I have no reason to feel unsafe. Rarely have I felt so protected in my life as when you were watching over me,” Josephine said softly, and leaned in. “I love you.”

And so, words were said that were previously felt, but not spoken.

Cassandra stared at Josephine and felt the blood rush to her head. Perhaps she had not imagined those words being uttered at her in a damp castle hallway, but they heated her entire being nonetheless. She knew she undoubtedly felt the same.

She pulled Josephine into her, not kissing her but pressing her flush against her chest, arms coming around her in a protective embrace. She kept her there, their heartbeats stuttering against each other.

“I will learn from my mistakes and do better by you next time,” Cassandra spoke hoarsely into Josephine’s hair. She swallowed. “I would protect you for eternity, if need be. You deserve nothing less, my love.”

When Cassandra let go, Josephine looked at her, radiating gratefulness and love. Josephine stood up on her toes, and softly put her lips to Cassandra’s.


End file.
